A powerful earthquake measuring 6,6 on the Richter scale rocked Taiwan on Wednesday, followed by one with a magnitute of 5,1, seismologists said.
The National Fire Agency reported minor damage but no immediate casualties.
An agency official said there were some landslides in southern Taiwan and telecommunications systems in some areas were interrupted.
Television reports said small fires and minor gas leakage had occurred in some southern cities but that the situation was under control.
The tremor hit at 12.38pm (4.38am GMT) with the epicentre 3km west of Cheng Kung in southeastern Taiwan’s Taitung county, about 200km south of Taipei.
It originated from 10km underground, Seismology Centre director Kuo Kai-wen said.
The tremor shook buildings in Taipei and was felt in other parts of the island, he added.
A quake measuring 5,1 on the Richter scale jolted the island four minutes later with its epicentre 7,7km west of Cheng Kung, 17,5km underground.
Taiwan, lying near the junction of two tectonic plates, is prone to earthquakes.
The island suffered its worst quake in a century when a tremor measuring 7,6 on the Richter scale struck central Taiwan on September 21 1999, leaving 2 400 people dead. — Sapa-AFP